Encyclopedia of Islam

usually translated as almsgiving, asks Muslims
to give as charity a percentage of their wealth
attained from profit on certain kinds of income
and represents part of a larger attitude of charity
(sadaqa) encouraged by the umma. Muslims who
are not ill, traveling, menstruating, or nursing
fast from dawn to dusk during ramadan, the
ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, to
fulfill the fourth pillar of Islam. The prohibition
on eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual activ-
ity during the day acts as a social leveler that is
enhanced by the communal activities and shar-
ing of Food and drink in the evening. Finally,
the fifth pillar, the haJJ, takes place as an annual
pilgrimage to mecca and the surrounding area,
including a series of ritual acts required of every

Muslim one time during his or her lifetime if

physically and fiscally possible.

See also adhan; Fasting; holidays; shiism.

Margaret Leeming

Further reading: Frederick Denny, An Introduction to

Islam (New York: Macmillan, 1994); Sachiko Murata

and William C. Chittick, The Vision of Islam (St. Paul,

Minn.: Paragon House, 1994).

flag

All modern countries use flags as national symbols,

and many of these national flags—including those

of secular nations—display designs that have a rec-

ognized connection with a religious tradition. The

Friday prayer at al-Husayn Mosque in Cairo, Egypt ( Juan E. Campo)

flag 243 J